The Governing Elite

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the theory of the power elite; a belief, held by many, that membership in the government of the United States is only open to those that acquire wealth and property and who accept the national consensus about private enterprise, limited government, and individualism. After examining this theory, the paper goes on to explain the flaws in the theory and why it cannot be applied to the U.S. In providing this explanation, the paper considers the history of the U.S. its presidents, its economic power structure and its civil rights movement.

From the Paper:

"The theory of the power elite proposes that "less than 250 people hold the most influential posts in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government, while approximately 200 men and women run the three major television networks and most of the national newspaper chains" (Reynolds). Those that ascribe to the theory of the power elite envision a "pyramid of power" (Reynolds, with a tiny elite class making the decisions for the rest of America. An essential part of the theory of the power elite is that the majority of Americans are powerless to hold those in power accountable for their actions. This is because those, whom Americans would hold accountable, such as their government representatives, are not in the power elite, but actually in a middle level, which is controlled by the power elite. The theory further states that the power elite itself is composed of the highest political leaders, including the President, major corporate owners, and high-ranking military officials (Reynolds)."

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